Episode 3 -The Attack

The Grant lad and his clansmen plan an attack on the Comyn of Freuchie and Dan explains the power and influence of the Comyn clan in medieval Scotland.

Cat Irving from the Surgeons’ Hall Edinburgh examines the skull to assess the health and diet of the person and to look for any obvious trauma. Could this person have died from a blow to the head in battle?

A contender for the skull emerges, following the attack on the Comyn of Freuchie’s stronghold.

Biomolecular archeologist Dr Sam Leggett from the University of Edinburgh takes on further analysis of the skull. She explains her work and the ethics around destructive sampling and reveals where this person lived in the last decade of their life.

Dr Leggett also shares insights into the global history around beheadings and the retention of human remains. She further explains the context in medieval Europe, predominantly a Catholic region, and how different periods right up to the Victorian times viewed and treated human remains.

Lord Reidhaven reflects on the supposed jinx of the skull and why his family didn’t like to talk about it.

And Dan shares the history of the decline of Comyn power in Scotland, involving a grizzly murder by Robert the Bruce which sparked the first Scottish War of Independence.

If you love Highland clan history and want to find out more about historical characters in this story, like the MacGregor, sign up to Grantown Museum's newsletter. Go to grantownmuseum.co.uk/legends and click the newsletter link.

Credits

Dan Cottam - Presenter and Grantown Museum curator

Jac Phillimore - Producer

Isobella Hubbard - Storyteller

Cat Irving - Human Remains Conservator, Surgeons’ Hall Museum, Edinburgh

This project was delivered in partnership with The Space and Museums and Heritage Highland.

It is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.